“He didn’t do so bad,” Jake admitted. “But that doesn’t excuse Sharon.”
“Didn’t say it did, but two weeks ago, you guys were all with other girls—in one form or another. Whether you were ‘dating’ them or not. Right or wrong?”
“Frankie…”
“Right or wrong?” Really, if I had to live with this crap, then so did they.
“You’re talking about the end of the summer bash.” It wasn’t a question, and we were definitely going somewhere farther out. We’d left town behind and were heading north.
“I’m talking about the topless pics in the hot tub… and the fact that Sharon told me if I’d been at the end of the summer party, then I’d realize just how new all of this is. Not like I didn’t already know that.”
Jake flinched. “Truth? Even if it’s painful?”
“Better than lies.” Or secrets.
“Then yeah, a couple of weeks ago, at the bash, we all got out of hand. It was—end of the summer, senior year, craziness ensued.”
Pretty much what I thought.
“I don’t know about the others, we didn’t really discuss it,” Jake continued. “But yeah, Maria and I hooked up, and it wasn’t anything. But Sharon and Bubba might have. I don’t know. Don’t know about Archie and Patty or Coop and Laura, though I can guess.”
So could I.
“Okay.”
He blew out a breath. “That’s it?”
“What do you want me to do? Yell?” I slipped my shoes off and propped my feet against the dashboard, since apparently, we were driving hell and gone. The sun was dipping on the horizon, but it wasn’t dark yet. I could have put on my sunglasses, if I wanted to dig them out of my backpack. Instead, I just looped the end of my ponytail around one finger. The hair had mostly dried.
He didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes. “Fuck, it feels like we’re not okay again.”
“I’m sorry, maybe… maybe going out was a bad idea. I was fine while we were all talking and I was doing homework.”
“Would yelling help?”
“I can’t yell at you guys for having lives before. Not only would that be dumb, it would be hypocritical. I knew you were dating.”
“Yeah, but most of that wasn’t dating, at least not by that party.”
He didn’t have to tell me that, I’d gotten it already.
“I can tell you about baking a cake with Mathieu, but I’m afraid there really aren’t any topless pictures.”
His expression turned incredulous as he shot a look at me. “Good.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed, and he shook his head.
“Seriously, Frankie…”
“Well, I’ve got nothing else to compare it too—except Archie, and I don’t want to talk about that. Mathieu’s the only guy I even pseudo dated outside of you guys.”
“We can keep it that way,” Jake said firmly. “Just like I’m not dating Maria or anyone else.”
“Still seems hypocritical to expect that when I’m…” dating everyone else?
“You’re not expecting or demanding it,” he reminded me. “This is me making a promise.” When he put his hand on my leg, I covered it. “I want to make this okay again, Friday you were… you were happy, and then the next time I see you…”
The world had crashed in.